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墨書 Inktalez
Generally speaking, such matters are usually handled with a compass. The reason we don't frequently use Cow Tears is that this substance is indeed very precious, and also because using Cow Tears improperly can be harmful to the eyes. However, this situation is unusual; the Spirit God is a malevolent spirit that actively provokes. Therefore, for safety's sake, we decided to take extra precautions.
My master and I each performed a Hand Seal and applied Cow Tears to our eyes before entering through the side door of the Stove House. We looked around but found nothing unusual. There was no chilling aura either; this room should be one where the Spirit God does not come.
We entered through the door on the right and arrived at a small bedroom. The room was not large, containing only a Wooden Bed and a wooden desk. However, there were three doors: one was where we had just entered, another led outside, and the last one led to the Main Hall. Standing inside felt cold, and there was a strong stench, likely from some Dead Mice or similar creatures inside.
My master frowned as he walked ahead and whispered, "This room gathers Yin energy and harbors darkness. It seems the previous occupant did not fare well. Now that two Spirit Gods have entered, we shouldn't linger here too long; it might harm our Yang Qi." After saying this, my master quickened his pace and pushed open the door leading to the Main Hall.
I nodded and followed closely behind him into the Main Hall. As soon as we entered, my flashlight swept across the room and revealed the two Spirit Gods hanging upside down on the staircase. I thought to myself, are they bat-like? Why are they so keen on hanging upside down?
My master was in front of me; since I could see them, he certainly could too. However, he merely glanced at them before turning back to me and blinking a few times. I understood his intention—he wanted us to pretend we hadn't seen them.
He turned around and closed the door gently before lightly placing a talisman on it. After placing it, he didn't remove his hand but instead took out a blank piece of yellow paper and laid it over the talisman, securing it tightly with a Thumbtack. My master glanced at me, and I immediately understood his plan; he intended to set up a formation beneath the eyes of the Spirit Gods. As for what kind of formation it was, I couldn't tell just yet.
My master looked at me and then glanced at the two Spirit Gods hanging from the Ladder. His meaning was clear: I needed to attract their attention to give him time to set up his formation.
There are many ways to attract the attention of Spirit Gods; I chose the most direct and effective method. Since we had applied Cow Tears, we could see them while they were unaware that we could do so. If they knew, they would surely react in some way. For now, they remained calm, simply hanging from the Ladder, indicating they had not yet revealed themselves.
Since I had to pretend not to see them while also drawing their attention, I needed to act unusually. After some thought, I walked toward the Ladder—I was preparing to climb it.
I strolled slowly under the Ladder and deliberately shone my flashlight on it several times, examining everything except for them. When I reached the base of the Ladder, I was very close to them; my palms were sweating slightly as one Spirit God hung quite low. Its head was nearly at my waist level. Fortunately, they were not lying diagonally on the Ladder but were hanging vertically behind it, so climbing wouldn't pose much of an obstacle.
Standing at the bottom of the Ladder, I tried my best to control my gaze away from them. Although they remained still for now, I felt their attention shifting toward me. Slowly, I lifted my foot onto the first step and grasped the edge of the Ladder with my right hand as I prepared to ascend to the second step. My movements were slow—deliberately so—to buy time for my master.
As I stepped onto the second rung, a powerful sense of oppression washed over me, accompanied by a cold snort from the White Shirt Spirit above. Unable to withstand it, I jumped down from the ladder, realizing that I must have provoked them. As soon as I steadied myself on the ground, the two Spirit Gods moved simultaneously, dropping down like before without a sound. Although they landed first, they stood upright immediately after touching the ground. They appeared not behind the stairs but on either side of me.
I thought to myself, this is bad; I can't keep this up. I quickly threw the Cinnabar Incense Ash in my hand towards the White Shirt Spirit on my left. Before I could pull out my Ink Fight Line with my right hand, the Death Spirit blocked me. With a dull thud, my right hand went limp, and both the Flashlight and Ink Fight Line fell to the ground.
With my hand blocked by the Spirit God, it felt as if I had been numbed; all instinct was gone. I couldn't think too much about it and took advantage of the brief moment when the White Shirt Spirit was distracted by the Cinnabar Ash to kick out with my left foot. Any damage I could inflict would be worth it; these two Spirit Gods were definitely not to be trifled with.
The sound of my kick was surprisingly dull, lacking the expected softness and instead resonating with an almost iron-like hardness. Pain shot through my foot. This Spirit God was incredibly strong; despite its small and thin appearance, it absorbed my kick without sustaining any damage, only hastening its return to consciousness. Just as I retracted my foot, it lunged at me with claws bared. I thought to myself, this is it; there's no way I can withstand such a powerful Spirit God filled with hatred coming at me.
Remembering the talisman my master had placed on my back, I turned around to face it. At this moment, all I could do was hope for that talisman’s protection.
Turning my back to it meant that I had to face the Death Spirit head-on. The Death Spirit released my right hand just as I turned around. It wasn't letting me go; it was preparing to lunge at me with all its might. Seeing this action from the Death Spirit filled me with despair; I thought, I'm done for—please don't turn me into an idiot.
The White Shirt Spirit struck first, and I felt a clear sense of pressure from behind, though it wasn't overwhelming—at least still within my limits. A glimmer of hope surged in me; indeed, the talisman drawn by my master was extraordinary. To my surprise, the Death Spirit did not charge at me as expected but suddenly went limp just before making contact with my body.
My master stood behind it, gripping his Great Seal tightly. The Death Spirit had surely been knocked down by him. Without pausing, he raised the Great Seal and aimed it at the White Shirt Spirit that was still clinging to my back. Just before he struck it down, I suddenly felt a release behind me followed by a powerful force that pushed me forward.
With a loud crash, I couldn't resist that force and slammed heavily against the closed door of the Main Hall. Unlike brick houses, wooden structures make loud noises even with slight impacts; given my speed during that collision, it drew a cacophony of barking from every dog in the village—a chorus of various barks echoing around me.
The once quiet mountain village erupted into chaos as some barking grew closer, seemingly rushing towards us. I turned to look at my master; he was frantically stepping on Gangbu while chanting incantations rapidly. The White Shirt Spirit was being pushed back by his Daoist Arts but still showed signs of wanting to charge forward again. This fierce Spirit God was unlike any I'd encountered before; I knew well that my master's techniques were far beyond what an ordinary Spirit God could withstand.
However, this couldn't go on forever; my master was getting older and wouldn't last long under such strain. Just as I contemplated rushing over to help him, he shouted at me: "Don't come over! Hurry up and activate the formation!"
"Okay!" Not daring to delay any further and noticing his breathing becoming labored, I hurriedly picked up the Flashlight and began shining it around where he had set up his formation. After just a few seconds of observation, I understood what he had arranged: an inner Soul Summoning Array surrounded by two outer Soul-Trapping Formations. The precision with which he set up such a complex array in such a short time truly left me in awe.
The so-called Activate Formation is actually quite simple, as the master has already set everything up. All that is needed is to light the red candles and recite the incantation to activate the formation. However, the order of activating Activate Formation has me in a dilemma. If I activate the Soul Summoning Array first, then the Soul-Trapping Formation will be ineffective. But if I activate the Soul-Trapping Formation first, I fear my master won't be able to hold on for long.
When I was young, my teacher taught us that if we didn't understand something, we should ask. So I quickly spoke up, "Master, which one should I activate first?"
"If you don't want your master to report to the underworld early, then activate the Soul Summoning Array first," my master replied, his tone growing increasingly urgent as he continued to grapple with the White Shirt Spirit. It seemed he hadn't anticipated that this Spirit God would be so difficult to deal with.
I nodded and took out my lighter to ignite the pair of red candles for the Soul Summoning Array. Inside, my master had placed three Soul Guiding Talismans, all freshly drawn, so their power was undeniable. After lighting the candles, I began to recite the Soul Summoning Spell to open the formation.
Once I quickly finished reciting the Soul Summoning Spell, the formation was activated, and it startled me as well. The Spirit God, dressed in a Funeral Garment, sprang up from the ground and charged toward me with an intensity reminiscent of a delicate young girl released from a ten-year imprisonment. However, despite its fierce approach, it was merely a result of the power of the Soul Summoning Array. In reality, its combat ability was limited; as a New Soul, it wouldn't withstand my master's Ruthless Seal.
Even though its abilities were greatly diminished now, I was still fully prepared when it charged at me. I quickly stuffed two Exorcism Talismans into my shoes and grabbed a handful of Cinnabar from my master's Cloth Bag, sprinkling it on my shoes. As it rushed toward me, I kicked out forcefully in its direction while silently praying that this time I wouldn't kick something solid again.
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